Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Diocese of Abuja, has raised worry that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is determined to win elections by any means necessary, potentially eroding the electoral process’s credibility.
Cardinal Onaiyekan made this claim during a live interview with Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’ on Friday.
He also questioned the independence of the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), despite Tinubu’s declaration that it was neutral.
“We are concerned that President Tinubu’s administration is determined to win the 2027 elections at whatever costs.
“Unfortunately, they have a lot of means at their disposal, and they’re using them in such a way that even in a free and fair election, the people’s votes may not count.
“However, we warned that if we do not reform our election system to ensure that elections are truly free, fair, and credible, it will lead to problems.
“We also emphasised that having a one-party state in a so-called democracy benefits no one. Of course, we do not expect Mr. President to help the opposition defeat him.
“But the point we’re making is that, while the president has all of the powers of an incumbent, he’s running for reelection. “He is a candidate like any other person,” Onaiyekan stated.